08-Learn to Shoot

OLYMPUS MJU II

當朋友告訴我她的廚師丈夫從來不會在家裡做菜的時候,我真的大吃一驚,徹底打破我所有想像。她說,丈夫回家的時候已失去做菜的欲望了。
原來是這樣子。果然是這樣比較輕鬆嗎?

一開始的時候,我自己也對於拍照懷有不惜一切的熱忱,後來才發現沒有相機在身的那一天,身體變輕了。想到的時候才做,像風和日麗的日子才拿起相機出外走走,這樣反而比較快樂,就算最後沒有拍到照片,也沒所謂了。

I was shocked when a friend told me that her chef husband never cooks at home, it completely changed my previous assumptions. She said that her husband loses the desire to cook when he returns home after a long day.
I get it. Maybe he’s more at ease that way?

At the beginning, I had unwavering enthusiasm for photography, but then later on I discovered that my body became much lighter when I wasn’t carrying a camera. I felt happier acting on impulse, just like taking the camera out for a walk on a beautiful day, even if no pictures are taken at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter at all.

堆疊起來的底片,深究不斷的器材,也難免是種包袱。最初甚麼都不懂,不是也一樣拍個痛快嗎? 幸好Olympus μII這台相機在不短的年月裡免去我不少負擔,「μ」是希臘第十二個字母,有「micro」的意思,它的小和輕算是舊底片相機之最了。光滑的香檳色塑膠機身雖然不討好,但溜進褲袋真的非常輕鬆。需要拍照的時候,不管怎樣都帶備一台Olympus μII會讓我安心。每次使用手動相機到幾乎筋疲力盡,這台全自動傻瓜機會救我一命。看到的甚麼就是拍到的甚麼,毫無疑問。

Piling rolls of film and constantly renewing photography equipment might be a burden to some people. Wasn’t it fun to shoot without understanding much about photography, like how I first started? I still feel fortunate to have the Olympus μII camera as it has removed the burden from my shoulder in the past years. “μ” is the twelfth letter in Greek which stands for “micro”. Among other film cameras from the old days, the Olympus μII is probably the smallest and lightest. Although its champagne-colored plastic body is not that pleasing, I am satisfied with its tiny size that makes it easy to slip into my pants pocket. Whenever I need to take photos, I am relieved to have my Olympus μII with me, and every time I feel exhausted from shooting manually, this fully automatic compact camera always saves my life. There’s no doubt that what I see is what I shoot.

我最喜歡它滑開機身前方的鏡頭蓋便能拍照的設計,沒有開關鍵,感覺它好像不是一台機器,慢慢成為身體一部分。雖然Olympus μII得過不少好的評價,但顯然它不是最得寵的傻瓜機──全都與我無關了。拍照嘛,不過是想到的時候才做,和最好不要失去拍照的欲望。假如明天睜開眼睛,仍然想帶上一台相機出門,合該是最幸福的事。

I am especially fond of its sliding lens cover. Without a power button, I can start shooting by a simple slide, and it also makes the camera feel less like a machine ── so much so that it gradually became a part of my body. Though Olympus μII has received a lot of positive reviews, it is obviously not the most popular compact camera on the market ── that has nothing to do with me anyway.  After all, photo-taking is an act of impulse, and it is best not to lose the desire to shoot. If you open your eyes tomorrow and still want to bring your camera out, it’s a blessing.

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